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“You can turn around now. It’s not too late.”
“I’m afraid you’re wrong.”
“Lanzo—”
“I’ve got to go. Thanks for your help.”
I hang up and toss the phone onto the couch.
Turn around now? Stop when I’m within inches of catching Burian?
If I did that, dozens of people would die.
Burian is a nightmare. I haven’t told Ren even half the stories about him to spare her the worry. But that Russian bastard has left a long wake of gruesome murders and manipulations behind him over the years.
Including of some people I tried not to care about.
If I keep going and finish this, I can save people.
But it’s more than that.
Burian tried to hurt her. Another person that matters to me. The man that put his hands on my Ren’s throat is a corpse now, but Burian ordered it. He made it happen.
And he has to pay.
I find her still awake in the tub. She smiles up at me. “You look sad,” she says.
She doesn’t know the half of it.
“Just feeling guilty. That’s all.”
“You don’t need to.” She touches the bruises on her throat. “I made my own decisions.”
I grimace, glancing away. “Don’t give me an excuse to keep putting you in danger.”
“I’m not sure that’s an option anymore.” She laughs, an ugly sound. Raspy and painful. “He knows we’re working together. I’m sure he saw you.”
“Good. I hope he’s worried.”
She hesitates. “That guy. When he was strangling me, he said something about his partner. About doing it to save his partner.”
I rub my face. “That’s something Burian does. He likes to use people, force them to do his dirty work for him. I’ll bet anything I killed an FBI agent tonight.”
Her eyes widen. “You’re serious?”
“Very serious. And I’d bet anything Burian’s got another agent tied up in some dank basement near here. Probably missing his fingers. Assuming he’s not already dead.”
“What are we going to do?”
“You’re going to heal.” I kneel down beside the tub. “I’m going to find Burian and end this.”
“You still need me. You don’t know what he looks like.”
“Give me the best description you can.”
“That’s not the same and you know it.”
“Ren. I’m not risking you again.”
